DECEIT

1992 / Director. Albert Pyun. Movie # 13
Review by Glenn Cochrane.

DECEIT is one of Albert's forgotten sci-fi comedies. It rarely registers, even amongst Pyun fans, and never received a decent release. To my knowledge is went direct to video and has languished firmly in obscurity. I managed to track down a video transfer and watched it for the first time tonight... and I really enjoyed the shit out of it. To set the mood the film begins with the following title card:

"The following is CRUCIAL plot information needed to understand this motion picture. If for somer reason you fail to read all of this data in time, then you are really screwed because you’ll end up sitting there for two hours wondering what the hell is going on and realising that you’ve just thrown away hard earned money and one-hundred and thirty minutes of your life. So here is the crucial information."


Hilariously there IS NO crucial information proceeding that statement and the film begins with Norbert Weisser sitting against a cyclone fence drinking a bottle of bleach. This scene is supposed to be the all important plot information... but really... REALLY? It's clear from the get go that DECEIT is going to be one mental mind fuck... and that it is. It tells the story of two aliens who have come to earth to destroy it but get sidetracked by their insatiable desire for sex. This is what I consider to be "classic Pyun". Shot in only 3 days and using mostly one location, he made a bizarre minimalist science fiction comedy that is totally left of centre. The script was written by Kitty Chalmers (CYBORG) and it's riddled with sexually explicit dialogue and desperate attempts to get laid, which teeter on the edge of rape. The film's heroine spends the entire film in her underwear and delivers one dominant monologue after another. At one point she declares "I am so fucking confused!", which seems like a wink to the audience. Norbert Weisser and Scott Paulin (as the ever popular Brick Bardo) are as good as always and Pyun's direction is effortless. The set design is industrial, reminiscent of CYBORG, NEMESIS, OMEGA DOOM etc and is aesthetically wonderful. The lighting, colours and camera angles lend it a surreal and charismatic appeal. There are also a few nice little in jokes and references to other Pyun movies, which is a nice adage for the fans. If Albert were to remake DECEIT he could effectively pull it off as a one-take film, which he is becoming really damn good at. Tonight was my first time watching this one and I loved it. The poster art is a massive injustice. Who in their right mind would see that artwork and feel compelled to watch the movie? 

---